Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are associated with a substantial economic burden, but there is little evidence of the costs in the early years; the period in which children are increasingly likely to be diagnosed. We describe the services used by 152 children aged 24–60 months with autism, report family out-of-pocket expenses and productivity losses, and explore the relationship between family characteristics and costs. Children received a wide range of hospital and community services including relatively high levels of contact with speech and language therapists and paediatricians. Total service costs varied greatly (mean £430 per month; range £53 to £1,116), with some families receiving little statutory support. Higher costs were associated with increasing age and symptom severity.
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This study was funded by the Medical Research Council (G0401546) and the UK Department for Children, Schools and Families, with a UK Department of Health award for excess treatment and support costs.
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PACT Consortium: University of Manchester—Katy Bourne, Laura Blazey, Clare Holt; Dharmi Kapadia, Wendy MacDonald, Andrew Pickles, Lydia White; Stockport PCT – Tori Houghton, Carol Taylor; Newcastle University—Anna Cutress, Sue Leach, Ann Le Couteur, Helen McConachie; North Tyneside PCT—Sam Barron, Ruth Colmer, Sarah Randles; Southwark PCT—Karen Beggs, Julia Collino; King’s College London—Pat Howlin; Centre for Research in Autism and Education, Institute of Education—Tony Charman.
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Barrett, B., Byford, S., Sharac, J. et al. Service and Wider Societal Costs of Very Young Children with Autism in the UK. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 797–804 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1306-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1306-x